The Prout Research Institute of Venezuela

Dear friends,

I hope that you are learning, growing, transforming... and serving others!

Three projects here in Venezuela are directly based on Prout: the Prout Research Institute and the Neohumanist Kindergarten in Caracas and Centro Madre Master Unit in Barlovento. The preschool finally won official accreditation from the Ministry of Education for their five years of service. The agricultural institute of the government (CIARA) rated Centro Madre as excellent, a national model of small scale sustainable agriculture; the Ministry of Culture also funds their successful family reading program.

Wonderful people have contributed to our projects this year: Spencer from Canada, Hans from Netherlands, Dusty from USA, Rajashrii from Guyana and Viveka from Sweden. Economist Mariah Branch decided to commit for another year with us as Director of Planning and Development. Yakelin, Karen, Alejandro, Gustavo, Gladys and other Venezuelans are helping more and more, and four more international volunteers are coming in the next three months. We are deeply grateful to all.

At the beginning of the year, we hosted and trained 21 Brazilian university students and their professor for six weeks of intensive training in Prout, yoga and cooperatives. Some of their comments: “I learned so much on the spiritual level,” “A fantastic experience that changed the way I see myself and the world,” “The kindness and love of the staff was unforgettable,” “The lessons I learned I will cherish my whole life.” "Testimonies from Past Participants"

The Institute's president, José Albarrán, presented a paper on Prout and cooperatives at the 10th National Symposium of the Social Economy in Barquisimeto that is available for download. Priven Downloads

I contributed an essay, and a few shorter pieces to Znet's “Re-imagining Society Project,” one of the very few forums where activists are discussing positive alternatives to global capitalism. I especially tried to convey the need for an ecological and spiritual perspective: "A New Social Paradigm Based On Spiritual Values". Though the deadline had already passed, I was able to get three other Proutist essays included: Michael Towsey "The Science and Ethics of Cooperation", Sohail Inayatullah "P.R. Sarkar's Vision Of The Future" and Alanna Hartzok "Tax Policy for a World of Peace and Plenty for All".

Mariah Branch and I wrote a two-page article about the Prout Research Institute that was published in the November 2009 issue of Gurukula Network (available for download at Gurukul Network ("All issues (PDF)"). In addition, an academic article giving an overview of Prout was accepted for the next issue of the peer-reviewed journal Working USA: The Journal of Labor and Society.

The 2009 Global Prout Convention in Copenhagenwas excellent and helped integrate us with the greater Prout movement. Another Copenhagen Prout conference will take place July 20-25, 2010, and in Caracas we are planning to organize a Global Prout Convention in early 2011, focusing on high public participation. We'll confirm the dates soon.

It was very inspiring to be personally invited by the Paraguay government to come to Asunción and speak on Prout at the first international congress on values: "Life with Dignity and Education." On the stage stood the flags of the international guests, and I was very touched that they put the Venezuelan flag for me. During a television news interview, I said, "This is a very historic gathering because it draws attention to the truth that we are all part of one human family, irregardless of different beliefs."

Immediately afterwards I toured Brazil for 11 days, where 50 wonderful dynamic young Proutists organized 14 presentations for me, including in five of the top universities of the country: UNICAMP, USP, UFMG, UFSC and UFF. I presented three themes: 1) the Biopsychology of Cooperation and Prout, 2) Mysticism, Meditation and Prout, and 3) Cooperative games for Solidarity and Compassion. The public response was very enthusiastic. I also did speaking tours to the first USA Solidarity Economy Conference and to Colombia.

For me, one of the most exciting projects we have started is a new course called "Venezuelan Reality and Tools to Change the World". Each module begins with a short discussion about a current world social problem, such as poverty, unemployment, hunger, crime, pollution, corruption, racism and sexism, etc. Then the scope and cause of that problem in the country is presented, and government responses are analyzed. Next we see how Prout principles can be systematically applied nationwide to alleviate the problem. As the modules are developed, we will post them on our web page so they can be adapted in other countries.

We started printing T-shirts that say on the front: “Only one family, only one planet,” and on the back “Economic Democracy with cooperatives for the welfare of all”.

I personally enjoy growing organic vegetables and more fruit trees in our garden. We have planted and harvested mangoes, bananas, lemon, chico, papaya, tomatoes, spinach, oregano, turmeric, zucchini, and we're planting more.

Our plans for the coming year include producing training videos for cooperatives, a weekly radio show about cooperatives, printing educational posters and illustrated training manuals about cooperatives.

Please contact me if you would like to visit, take an intensive course in Prout or apply for an internship. Contributions are needed and welcomed, and from the USA are fully tax-deductible.

I would love to hear news from you. With much peace and love,

Dada Maheshvarananda

Posted by maheshvarananda Saturday, December 26, 2009 (22:35:23)

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The Global Financial Crisis, the Land Problem and New Economics Public Finance Policy

by Alanna Hartzok, Co-Director of Earth Rights Institute and author of The Earth Belongs to Everyone, recipient of the 2008 Radical Middle Book Award. A United Nations NGO representative and former board member of United for a Fair Economy, she serves on the Advisory Counsel of the Prout Research Institute of Venezuela. Under contract with UN HABITAT’s Global Land Tool Network she developed an online course and program on Land Rights and Land Value Capture. Websites: www.earthrights.net and www.course.earthrights.net

The global financial crisis, with the first domino falling in the United States, has demonstrated the deep systemic failure of the prevailing economic paradigm. Thus far efforts to remedy the situation are not addressing the root causes of the melt-down and are digging the American people deeper into the hole of massive public debt.

In his April 1, 2009 op-ed in The New York Times titled “Obama’s Ersatz Capitalism” Joseph Stiglitz said that the bailout of banks by taxpayers is a “partnership in which one partner robs the other.” Considering that the top 1% of the population of the US has upwards of two trillion dollars more wealth than the bottom 90%, and with about 350 multi-billionaires now holding more wealth than nearly half of humanity, or three billion people, we have surely arrived at the end of the capitalist monopoly game.

Alternative economic analysts have traced the severe wealth gap problem to the ability of the so-called FIRE sector – Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate – to concentrate massive amounts of money, resources and power into ever fewer hands via a variety of “rent-seeking” behaviors. “Rent” in this framework connotes “unearned income.” The alternative analysis considers economic rent to be a socially generated surplus that is being privately captured. This essay will focus primarily on the finance and real estate dimensions of the FIRE sector... [Use the Read more... button below]

Posted by maheshvarananda Friday, September 18, 2009 (16:43:42)

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by Spencer Bailey (He has just completed 8 months as an intern at PRIV, now returning to Canada)

What challenges do we face as an institute working to raise awareness about PROUT and implement its ideas in Venezuelan society?

What makes the realization of PROUT’s vision for a new world so challenging? And conversely: What characteristics of the dominant culture and social systems make them so resistant to change? This is not creating an “us or them” construct, it is merely recognizing PROUTs international character and the fact that many of us are working in foreign countries...

[The beautiful paintings below are from the street mural of Venezuelan history at Bellas Artes in Caracas.]

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Posted by maheshvarananda Thursday, September 10, 2009 (02:39:28)

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by Mariah Branch, Director of Planning and Development at PRIV (presentation given at the Global Prout Convention in Copenhagen, July 21 2009).

I am going to share two things that we are doing at the Institute to improve our efficacy:

1.working with local and international volunteers and

2.integrating Prout into academic disciplines.

These two topics may seem slightly unconnected however they are similar in that they require cooperation and working with groups to increase their effectiveness.

Local Volunteers: Local volunteers have deep understandings of their communities and resources. Locals can advise you as to which community members are known for achieving desired goals and which community members are trustworthy. Local knowledge can save immense amounts of time and money. If your goal is to help the local community, locals are the only ones who can tell you what they perceive their problems to be.

Prabhat Ranjan Sarkar talks about the importance of cultural exchanges...[Use the Read More... button below]

Posted by maheshvarananda Friday, September 11, 2009 (20:57:21)

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Our perception of the world is not very different from that of many other organizations in the past and present that are struggling to build a better world. The enormous contrasts that we see in all corners of the planet, tell us that unless we redirect our actions, it is not possible to live in peace. Defending egos and territories is ultimately nonsense. We must change course. Whether we are aware of it or not, we have forgotten the commitment to love and the commitment to peace, transcending differences and raising our consciousness. Beyond appearances, we are all brothers and sisters.

The landscape of the world is a mirror of ourselves. It seems we have been at war with the Creator. We are unable to understand the greatness of life, when we choose to support the current ruling system which creates death in a thousand forms. We believe that simply imprisoning people will not prevent crime. It is not hospitals that restore health to people. Money and the materialist consumer syndrome of Neuro-Money do not end people's suffering. The higher knowledge of who we really are can change the world...

Posted by maheshvarananda Tuesday, September 08, 2009 (00:14:06)

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